Pocket Rocket

You love to hammer. You want your bike to be light and nimble, whether you are on your hoods charging up a climb or tucked on your drops sailing down a mountain. Your bike to oozes performance and fits like a glove. Take your Pocket Rocket anywhere in the world by checking it as luggage.

This design for this bike has been rolling around in my head for a few years. I want to spend some part of my retirement catching cheap flights to new places that need exploring, and taking a bike with me that can easily be assembled and transported, perhaps across oceans. I have been riding Bike Fridays for about 10 years now, so I am admittedly biased in their favor. What’s not to like? They make a great product and strive to make each purchase a uniquely pleasurable experience.The bike is a Pocket Rocket fixie fitted with a Gates CDX belt drive. 70 teeth in the front, 21 in the rear, for now (gonna try a 19 soon). I asked Walter to make it as clean as possible – no fender, rack, or water bottle braze-ons – since it will not be used for long jaunts. The ultralight stem and titanium seatpost keep it simple, comfortable, light, and kinda good looking. I’m a bit of a minimalist, and don’t mind doing a bit of assembly once I have reached my destination. In the same vein, the wheels are bolt-ons with Paul hubs, Alex rims, and Schwalbe Ones – no skewers. SRAM provided Force front brakes (with a Cane Creek lever) and a Force crank that stays with the simple-but-good theme. The handlebars are a set of 36cm drop bars I had laying around that BF cut short and turned upside down, making something like a bullhorn. In order for the handlebars to work, Walter had them create a custom 4 bolt stem, so the bars do not have to be cut in the middle. Seems like there is no issue the folks at BF don’t have an answer for. They provided a clean and pretty white paint job that generated a huge smile when it was unboxed, and they even let me continue keeping it clean with just a head badge instead of the usual decals. Yup, I peeled the stickers off the rims too. Don’t blame BF for the glow in the dark paint experiment over some of the white paint (I submitted 3 pix). I’ve always wanted to try out some of the new strontium based glow in the dark paint on a bike. The glow is cool – like a green white hot steel rod, but it’s kinda pointless since the cars attention is what you are going for, not the kid on the sidewalk that shouts out “cool!” When the cars lights are on you they wash out any glow from the paint. Still, it’s a fun conversation starter. That strontium paint is verrry expensive, and a bit challenging to apply - I did that part myself.But how well does the bike work? For me, exquisitely. I like the control, quiet, and speed limiter that a fixie brings with it. I’m not into big hills or high speed, so we are a good match. The belt makes this bike a fantastic hop on and go bike, or a commuter, or a traveler. No grease to bang against while you get it assembled. No more apologizing for grease stains after you bump into someone in the stairway on the way to your cube. I’ve put about 1000 miles on it in the last two months – still no creaks or any other issues of any kind. BUT, I haven’t had to remove the back tire yet. The setup looks pretty intuitive for wheel/belt removal and tensioning.One of the great things about this bike is how little you have to think when you ride it – no gears to change, no higher speed to attain, no chain to watch out for against your leg. Just get on and go, in whatever you are wearing. I suspect one of the reasons it just works for me is because BF put a lot of work and thought into the design and build quality (the PR line has been around a while, and has gone through some refinements). It feels solid, smooth, and trustworthy. It really does handle pretty much like my big wheel bikes. I wouldn’t ride it across west Texas (I’m in Austin), but I will definitely be checking out cities (and surrounding areas) with it. It helps me avoid the transportation expense when I travel, and does it in a really fun way.But what about the PakIT? Doesn’t it achieve the same things? I like where the PakIT is going, but I am not an IGH fan – so heavy when carrying up the stairs, and doesn’t really mesh well with my quest for control/simplicity. Walter and I talked about a nice PakIT single speed, but the gearing was not conducive to the way I like to ride. Still I will be watching the PakIT as it matures, in case Gates or other belt manufacturers come up with gearing options that make it even more attractive. Heck, the PakIT might be the next addition to my stable.It is so cool that there are folks still trying to make the world better, and make people like me happy at the same time, at what I think is a pretty affordable price. I’m very happy with this bike.

After years of riding 700c vintage steel (my favorite: a Joe Bell-restored 1967 PX-10E Peugeot), I made the jump in 2009 to a red, pre-loved 2000 Pocket Rocket, completely refurbished by Bike Friday's crew with Shimano Ultegra components, a custom Caprio 9 x 30 cassette (thanks, Tim Link!), and a trick, lightweight handlebar bag.I had no idea until I started making group rides with my new wheels how much better modern bikes are than even the most advanced Td'F equipment of 40+ years ago. At about the same weight as bikes that won the Tour in the mid-'60s and early '70s, with low-inertial 20" wheels and a low step-over height, my PR is significantly more responsive and MUCH more comfortable than vintage for the metric-C distances I favor. It also makes travel to group rides I used to skip substantially easier. My PR folds nicely into the baggage compartment of our airplane or the trunk of our car for fast, efficient travel to distant events without the hassle of near-complete disassembly (or, worse, roof racks for the car!) that even modern 700c bikes require.My PR was so successful that after its second riding season Diane Ledford contacted Sales Consultant Peter Berra for a beautiful Pocket Rocket Pro for herself.We still ride vintage occasionally. Old habits, "sew-ups," and toe clips never die. But for agility, comfort, group rides, or just zipping through the foothills of California together for fun, our Pocket Rockets beat the socks off our well-traveled vintage bikes.

Been a delighted customer of an orange BF PR for around six months now. I ride it often in rotation with my six year old Dahon Mu EX. Bit of a concrete jungle where I live (Singapore) but we have a beautiful Park Connector Network around the island so its basically flats and short rides (20-40km) for me. I love the geometry and comfort of the frame. Steel is really comfortable to ride! Much has been said of your "big bike" ride and its all true while the small(er) wheels are great for acceleration. My bike was set up by your Singapore agent (great service) and equipped with a 20 speed Campy Veloce groupset. Not sure how it would do as a "real" road bike but for what I do its brilliant and look forward to many more good years riding it. A keeper for sure!

This design for this bike has been rolling around in my head for a few years. I want to spend some part of my retirement catching cheap flights to new places that need exploring, and taking a bike with me that can easily be assembled and transported, perhaps across oceans. I have been riding Bike Fridays for about 10 years now, so I am admittedly biased in their favor. What’s not to like? They make a great product and strive to make each purchase a uniquely pleasurable experience.The bike is a Pocket Rocket fixie fitted with a Gates CDX belt drive. 70 teeth in the front, 21 in the rear, for now (gonna try a 19 soon). I asked Walter to make it as clean as possible – no fender, rack, or water bottle braze-ons – since it will not be used for long jaunts. The ultralight stem and titanium seatpost keep it simple, comfortable, light, and kinda good looking. I’m a bit of a minimalist, and don’t mind doing a bit of assembly once I have reached my destination. In the same vein, the wheels are bolt-ons with Paul hubs, Alex rims, and Schwalbe Ones – no skewers. SRAM provided Force front brakes (with a Cane Creek lever) and a Force crank that stays with the simple-but-good theme. The handlebars are a set of 36cm drop bars I had laying around that BF cut short and turned upside down, making something like a bullhorn. In order for the handlebars to work, Walter had them create a custom 4 bolt stem, so the bars do not have to be cut in the middle. Seems like there is no issue the folks at BF don’t have an answer for. They provided a clean and pretty white paint job that generated a huge smile when it was unboxed, and they even let me continue keeping it clean with just a head badge instead of the usual decals. Yup, I peeled the stickers off the rims too. Don’t blame BF for the glow in the dark paint experiment over some of the white paint (I submitted 3 pix). I’ve always wanted to try out some of the new strontium based glow in the dark paint on a bike. The glow is cool – like a green white hot steel rod, but it’s kinda pointless since the cars attention is what you are going for, not the kid on the sidewalk that shouts out “cool!” When the cars lights are on you they wash out any glow from the paint. Still, it’s a fun conversation starter. That strontium paint is verrry expensive, and a bit challenging to apply - I did that part myself.But how well does the bike work? For me, exquisitely. I like the control, quiet, and speed limiter that a fixie brings with it. I’m not into big hills or high speed, so we are a good match. The belt makes this bike a fantastic hop on and go bike, or a commuter, or a traveler. No grease to bang against while you get it assembled. No more apologizing for grease stains after you bump into someone in the stairway on the way to your cube. I’ve put about 1000 miles on it in the last two months – still no creaks or any other issues of any kind. BUT, I haven’t had to remove the back tire yet. The setup looks pretty intuitive for wheel/belt removal and tensioning.One of the great things about this bike is how little you have to think when you ride it – no gears to change, no higher speed to attain, no chain to watch out for against your leg. Just get on and go, in whatever you are wearing. I suspect one of the reasons it just works for me is because BF put a lot of work and thought into the design and build quality (the PR line has been around a while, and has gone through some refinements). It feels solid, smooth, and trustworthy. It really does handle pretty much like my big wheel bikes. I wouldn’t ride it across west Texas (I’m in Austin), but I will definitely be checking out cities (and surrounding areas) with it. It helps me avoid the transportation expense when I travel, and does it in a really fun way.But what about the PakIT? Doesn’t it achieve the same things? I like where the PakIT is going, but I am not an IGH fan – so heavy when carrying up the stairs, and doesn’t really mesh well with my quest for control/simplicity. Walter and I talked about a nice PakIT single speed, but the gearing was not conducive to the way I like to ride. Still I will be watching the PakIT as it matures, in case Gates or other belt manufacturers come up with gearing options that make it even more attractive. Heck, the PakIT might be the next addition to my stable.It is so cool that there are folks still trying to make the world better, and make people like me happy at the same time, at what I think is a pretty affordable price. I’m very happy with this bike.

After years of riding 700c vintage steel (my favorite: a Joe Bell-restored 1967 PX-10E Peugeot), I made the jump in 2009 to a red, pre-loved 2000 Pocket Rocket, completely refurbished by Bike Friday's crew with Shimano Ultegra components, a custom Caprio 9 x 30 cassette (thanks, Tim Link!), and a trick, lightweight handlebar bag.I had no idea until I started making group rides with my new wheels how much better modern bikes are than even the most advanced Td'F equipment of 40+ years ago. At about the same weight as bikes that won the Tour in the mid-'60s and early '70s, with low-inertial 20" wheels and a low step-over height, my PR is significantly more responsive and MUCH more comfortable than vintage for the metric-C distances I favor. It also makes travel to group rides I used to skip substantially easier. My PR folds nicely into the baggage compartment of our airplane or the trunk of our car for fast, efficient travel to distant events without the hassle of near-complete disassembly (or, worse, roof racks for the car!) that even modern 700c bikes require.My PR was so successful that after its second riding season Diane Ledford contacted Sales Consultant Peter Berra for a beautiful Pocket Rocket Pro for herself.We still ride vintage occasionally. Old habits, "sew-ups," and toe clips never die. But for agility, comfort, group rides, or just zipping through the foothills of California together for fun, our Pocket Rockets beat the socks off our well-traveled vintage bikes.

Been a delighted customer of an orange BF PR for around six months now. I ride it often in rotation with my six year old Dahon Mu EX. Bit of a concrete jungle where I live (Singapore) but we have a beautiful Park Connector Network around the island so its basically flats and short rides (20-40km) for me. I love the geometry and comfort of the frame. Steel is really comfortable to ride! Much has been said of your "big bike" ride and its all true while the small(er) wheels are great for acceleration. My bike was set up by your Singapore agent (great service) and equipped with a 20 speed Campy Veloce groupset. Not sure how it would do as a "real" road bike but for what I do its brilliant and look forward to many more good years riding it. A keeper for sure!